Remembering How to Breathe
by Fresh Nomzz
Summary: Rin Sohma's life is over. The booze, the drugs, the sex...she is a wreck. Then, she meets Haru. And her life begins. FIRST FANFIC...NO FLAMES!  IsuzuXHatsuharu
1. Chapter 1

{Hello everyone! For a while now, I've been getting ideas about this story and those ideas bother me to the point where I see Rin Sohma come up in my dreams with a knife to my throat. So yes, this is my first fanfic and that is why my writing is a bit clumsy. I'm new to this, so no flames please! :) This story is rated for language, drugs, mature themes, and sexuality. Constructive criticism will be gladly accepted. If you have any ideas at all for this story, do let me know because I suffer from a severe case of writer's block. I hope you enjoy! :) Kisses, M-chan.}

DISCLAIMER: I do not own fruits basket. If I did, however, I would marry Haru Sohma and we would have beautiful mix babies. Oh also, the words in bold are lyrics from the song 'Steroids' by the gorgeous and talented Uffie. I also do not own her or the song. I only wish that I did.

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Remembering how to breathe

Chapter 1

_I just came here to dance. I just came here to dance. I just came here to dance._

Those words became a monotonous chant in Rin Sohma's mind as she gazed intently in the mirror.

_I just came here to dance._

However, her chaste thoughts did no justice to what she had on, or the lack thereof. She glanced sharply at the girl in the mirror, dark eyes locked with dark eyes. Her eyes skimmed down at her black corseted dress which was cut straight down the middle of her full chest. Her dress was tight, ending exactly at the tops of her pale thighs. Her straight black hair which ended at her waist glowed purple under the lighting and her bangs concealed her large dark dull eyes. The sparkle that once existed in her eyes had forever disappeared; her lids were now covered with layers of thick black shadow. Her makeup was a mask, almost as if she was hiding her identity.

She took a sharp breath as her dress tightened around her ribs. She heard a soft crack. She felt as if a strong hand was pushing against her chest and she took in small uncomfortable gulps of air. Maybe she was uncomfortable and maybe if she moved a little too much, she would end up flashing everyone at the club. But at this rate, she didn't give a shit.

_I just came here to dance._

She whipped her wrist up, catching her black sequined clutch in her hand, and unzipped it, letting the contents fly onto the sink counter.

Black eyeshadow. Black eyeliner. Black mascara. Blood red lipstick. A cell phone.

And a small silver box of pills.

_I just came here to dance._

"Bottoms up, Rin" she muttered grimly. The box flipped open and she threw a pill into her mouth. Leaning over the sink, she turned the faucet on and swallowed. She heard footsteps from the entrance of the bathroom, but continued to stare up at the sparkly purple lights on top of the mirror, quietly whispering her mantra. A slim girl with short black hair appeared behind her.

"Rin, the party is waiting for you." She announced huskily.

Rin's eyes began to burn as the lights glared down at her. Cue silence.

The girl stood there waiting, impatiently tapping her heel against the tiles. Rin rolled her eyes and turned to face her. "I'll be out soon…Akito." She spat out the girl's name through her gritted teeth.

"Good." She turned around and slightly rocked her hips to the sound of the music booming outside, her short lacy dress swishing gently. "Oh and Rin." She turned slightly, with a forced smirk on her lips. "Do try to end up in your own bedroom by tonight." She said darkly, before slipping out the door.

_I just came here to dance._

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**Boy, oh, boy I'm feeling high**

**It just happens to me at night**

**Are you ready for signs?**

**Tie my choke up on this punchline**

**Jumping with no parachute**

**Studly when I start to shoot**

**My load is pretty heavy, but you swallow**

**'Cuz you think I'm cute.**

Rin couldn't breathe once she stepped into the club. The loud music boomed, making her heard beat rapidly against her chest. If the music were a bit louder, her heart would pop right out on the confetti covered floor. The electric beats of the song made her swing her hips slightly. Everything around her was a blur. People dancing maniacally to the music. Dancing on table tops. Swishy skirts, neon tops, glossy platforms. Everything was hot. Too hot.

**I dedicate this song to my fans on steroids.**

She gulped as she made her way to the far corner of the club where sleek lounge chairs were lined up. A thin man with a scruffy goatee lounged there and at the sight of Rin approaching, he pointed to the many people who were crouched down at the table. Some who were sprawled on the couches. He was so used to her visits. "Welcome back." He grinned, but she was oblivious to his greeting, preoccupied with her own thoughts.

For a few brief moments, she stood there, looking at the thin lines of white on the table. Her dress tightened up around her as she tried many failed attempts to breathe again. She gazed at the white contents on the table, eyeing it for a few minutes. Before she knew it, she was sitting down by the table, her head resting against the chair and a wide smile slowly growing on her lips.

Staggering up, she saluted the man and began making her way to the dance floor. The only thing she felt was the deep bass of the music around her.

Boom…boom…boom…boom…

The vibrations tickled against the base of her chest and she shivered at that feeling of ecstasy. There were lights pinned all over, flashing colors everywhere. Rin stared at the light. Oh, how bright it was. She watched it change from red to purple to green to yellow to blue to pink and back to red. She began to walk-err, stagger- towards the light, hypnotized by it. In her trance, she bumped into the dancers and was soon suffocated by the crowd. The only thing in her sight was a slow motion blur of colors and lots of bare skin. She slowly began to lift her hands up and sway clumsily to the music.

**Two times might be one too much**

**I'm losing sight, I'm losing touch**

**of the reality I was facing when I was growing up.**

She was a fabulous dancer, however, despite her clumsy moves. And by fabulous I mean lots of suggestive hip shaking and grinding. Her hands searched blindly for a pair of strong arms. When she caught one, she whipped a man around and pressed up against him. He didn't have a shirt on.

It was 9:23 pm and the night had just begun.

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"Wohooooooo!" shrieked Rin before she downed another drink. The stench made her dizzy and the drink burnt her throat. The alcohol hit her and her head began to ring. This was her most favorite feeling. She grabbed two more shot glasses and made her way to the colorful blur in front of her. Downing them down at once, she let the glasses crash onto the ground, too intoxicated to care about what she was doing. She felt a spray of liquid fall on her head, and she looked up to see a topless bimbo dancing on the tabletop, a full glass in her hands. Rin's eyes narrowed. Placing her hands on the table, she hoisted herself up, and madly pushed the blonde bitch off. Her dress was bunched against her hips.

A rush of excitement spread across the crowd below her, as everyone began to hoot and holler. Lifting her arms up, she began to move across the table. Dozens of hands shot up, grabbing at her bare legs and her hair. She fell on her knees and leaned to crash her lips against the man who grabbed the back of her neck. His tongue pushed against her closed lips, and she opened up for him. Lifting her head up for air, she froze and let hands grab all over her. Shivers shot up her spine as she felt trails of fingers trace over her bare skin. She shut her eyes, enjoying the feeling.

Deep inside of her, however, she felt disgusting.

And for that brief moment of time, the only thing she heard were the uncomfortable gulps of air that she took in. She clenched her fists roughly, which were in someone's hair.

Then she felt a gaze.

She squinted against the hazy lights and upraised arms. Her eyes locked with a pair of light gray eyes.

Suddenly, she forgot how to breathe.

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	2. Chapter 2

{'Ello! So I finished chapter 2 pretty quickly. I didn't spend more than 2 hours on it because I really want to upload. YAY! I HAVE A REVIEWER! *dances as tumbleweed rolls by* Haha, I'm just going to keep on updating. I hope that you are all enjoying this. My classes started this week so I'm not sure how often I will upload. I also probably might want to work on another story as well as this. Okokok, enjoy chapter 2. PLEASE REVIEW! If anyone has any ideas at all or any words of constructive criticism, please tell me. Thanks everyone.}

DISCLAIMER: I do not own fruits basket. Or a white convertible. Or a life.

He had been watching her for a while now. It wasn't the first time that he had witnessed a scene like this. He made it a point to come to the downtown night clubs every once in a while to view the scene. Though the sights weren't pretty, they gave him the slight satisfaction that his life wasn't as messed up. He never understood why he was so intrigued to enter the dim, hazy nightclub, grab a stool by the bar, and sip on a tanqueray. He'd watch people stagger up to the bar, ordering shot by shot, barfing near his chair, and collapsing onto the stools. But what caught him the most, were the girls who were usually the most trashed. They'd be the girls who were half naked by 12am, on the tabletops, or unconscious in a shirtless guy's arms. So many times, he would wish he could help them, to grab them from the tables or knock them out of the guys' arms. He wanted to show them that there lives could be better. He wanted to embrace them, wipe the dirt and makeup from their faces, and tell them that their lives didn't have to be like this. But what could he do? He'd clench his fists to control himself, feeling the pressure burn over him as he watched all those girls crash. Once in a while, he'd see those girls glance over at him for a brief second, the pain brimming from their eyes. It was just a brief glance because then they'd just look away.

But tonight was different. When tonight's girl looked at him, she didn't look away. Instead, she jumped off the table, pushed through the crowd, and slowly stumbled in his direction.

She stood in front of him, gazing into his eyes for a brief moment, before looking down at his fitted white tee, his black jeans, and leather boots, and back up at his spiky white and black hair and unemotional expression. She smirked and hoisted herself up to the stool next to him.

"I'll have what he's having." she drawled, before slumping over the bar. She pushed her long, tangled hair away from her face and looked up at him.

"Don't you think that you have had a little too much tonight?"

She shook her head slowly, as if he said something stupid. "Honey, there is no such thing as too much to drink." As soon as her glass landed in front of her, she grabbed it and downed it down. She made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. "What the SHIT was that? Yuck!"

"Oh forgive me. I'm not a fan of girly, fruity shots."

He couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head violently. She stopped and looked right at him.

God damn, she was gorgeous. She bit her lip and leaned closer. She reeked of sweat and alcohol, but he remained unmoving, staring deeply into her dark eyes.

"Who are you?" she whispered. He felt her hot breath against his lips and he closed his eyes.

"Just any other lonely guy, who enjoys city lights and rich alcohol. I enjoy sightseeing." He opened his eyes and cracked a smile. "And so far, I'm enjoying the sights that I'm seeing." Suddenly, he saw a brief look of pain in the girl's eyes. He wiped his smile at once. She noticed his changed expression and her hurt expression vanished. Her hand was resting on his shoulder. Her slender fingers slowly running up and down his arm.

"What girl dumped your ass today?"

"Ah…there's no girl…"

"So you're gay."

"No. What I mean is, no one exists in my life at the moment." His tone was soft, almost soothing. "So I'm not here for hot hate sex."

"And what's wrong with that?" The girl smiled mischievously.

It took him a few moments to return her smile. "Absolutely nothing."

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The girl was in his arms, swaying clumsily to the music, her back pressed against his chest. He kept his hands on her waist. He felt the dress bunched up on her hips, and he pulled it down. The girl felt what he was doing and she whipped around and pushed up against him. Her hands found her way around his neck. She had never felt this dizzy before. Never had any alcohol or any drug, or any other man intoxicate her as this mystery man had. Every time she looked into his eyes, she felt as if he could see right through her. But Rin didn't mind it much. There was too much alcohol in her system to make sense of what was going on. His arms travelled up her waist and onto her arms. He clutched her tightly and began to drag her outside the club. Rin was used to this. She had done this too many times before to care. Only this time was one of the rare occasions that she was still conscious enough to know that a man was taking her to her house. But she wasn't conscious enough to tell him to stop.

They both stumbled out of the club and into the chilling cold air. Rin giggled and leaned against the outside wall. The alley was dark around her. He was in front of her and she could make out a blurry picture of his face with help of the streetlight in the distance. He pulled her staggering body, which continued to trip every few minutes. Giving up, he picked her up and carried her to his white convertible. He dropped her into the passenger seat and jumped over the door to get behind the wheel. They looked at each other for a moment which seemed to last forever.

_What the hell?_ Thought Rin hazily. _Why isn't he doing anything?_ She let out a groan before pulling herself into his lap. Her fingers tugged at his shirt as she began to leave sloppy kisses at the base of his neck. He felt a hand grab her own and another hand go behind the back of her neck to pull her away from him.

"You might want to buckle up."

"What?"

Sighing, he picked her up again and put her on the beige leather seat next to him. He leaned over her, his eyes gazing into her own, and tugged the seat belt across her frail body. He pulled out of the alley, drove through the barren city, and onto the highway. The car stopped in the middle of the road and he stared at the empty strip of road in front of him. His fingers drummed on the wheel.

Then he smiled.

The car revved up and sped across the road. Rin was plastered against her seat. The wind whipped the hair around her and she craned her neck for more. She undid her seat belt and began to get up. He gave the car a sharp turn to mock Rin, but she didn't fall. She sat on top of the seat and looked up at the dark sky. Her arms flew up and she shouted. She didn't care if the whole world heard her. She felt wonderful. Her hair blew roughly behind her, the wind pushed into her face. She felt so fresh.

So free.

Suddenly, a sharp stab of pain hit her chest. Her fingers dug into the seat as her sight began to go black. She swayed back and forth, making no sense out of the hazy lights in front of her. She breathed heavily and stumbled from the seat. And there, she threw up all over the back seat of his car. And fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

{It's been over 2 months. WOAHHH! I've been soooo busy. School is a total bitch. :( I spend much less than 10 hours at home each day and about 5 of those hours consist of me sleeping. Life hasn't been so hot and my life is full of sarcasm and dullness, so this chapter is just brimming with that. Anyway, I present to you chapitre trios. (That's chapter three. Look how cool I'm trying to look by speaking French…) Anyway, enjoy! Thanks!}

DISCLAIMER: I don't own fruits basket. I also do not own the band 'My Chemical Romance.' Although I assume that Rin may not like them, I do. What else do I not own…I do not own a man like Haru? I'm definitely working on that one.

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Chapter 3

Rin woke up with a start. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. For the first time in her life, she allowed herself to let out a lazy yawn before slowly opening her eyes. Squinting, she stared into the dark room and looked down at the dark blue bedding to realize that she wasn't in her own bedroom.

_Shit._

She jerked her head up, and a wave of pain went straight to her head. She groaned and grabbed her head suddenly stunned when she thought about the amount of alcohol that she may have consumed last night. What had she done? Or rather, who had she done? She lifted up the sheets ever so slightly and was shocked to see that she had a t-shirt covering up her frail chest. A 'My Chemical Romance' shirt. She would never be seen dead in a 'My Chemical Romance' shirt. Yes, she definitely wasn't at home. Rin's heartbeat accelerated.

This Saturday morning ritual wasn't uncommon for Rin. But every morning was the morning of judgment. She would have to see the face of the man she was with the whole night and see if she remembered him even a little bit. _When the hell am I going to stop?_ She inwardly cussed at herself, criticizing herself for her lack of self control and respect. Shaking her head and took a deep breath and craned her neck and prepared herself to see the body of a naked man.

She skyrocketed off of the bed when she realized that there was no one there. Her mind went crazy with thoughts and she felt the room spin around her. This had never happened before. She would always always ALWAYS wake up before the guy from last night would. Her head throbbed and she felt a wave of goose bumps wash across her bare legs. She heard footsteps get louder from outside the closed doors and she swore that she would've fallen over if her hand wasn't gripping the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath to compose herself and wiped her eyes for any obvious tears. The door creaked open and a swift, dark figure stepped in. Rin Sohma sat at the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

"Aaah, you're awake." His voice was like velvet. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to wake up." He walked in front of Rin so that they could both get a look at each other.

Rin's heartbeat accelerated at the sight of the sex god in front of her. She had only a few hazy memories of him, memories which included strong drinks at the bar, his strong arms around her as she was pressed up against him on the dance floor. And a car! There as definitely a car last night. She took a brief second to look him up and down. He had on dark baggy jeans and a loose black hoodie. Even though it was a loose hoodie, she could see the faint shape of his strong, toned arms. His white/black hair was damp and unruly as he pushed his hair up and away from his face. His head was tilted ever so slightly and he had a gentle look on his face. _This was the guy you slept with last night._

"This must be so awkward. You probably don't remember last night, judging from how many drinks you had." His voice broke her thoughts. She appeared calm, but inside she was fuming. _How dare he sleep with me and try to act casual the morning after?_

"No, it's alright." Rin began smoothly. "But the important question is did you enjoy taking advantage of me last night?" She narrowed her eyes and put on a sly smile.

He was quiet for only a brief moment before he mirrored her very same smile. "Oh yes," he muttered huskily. "I just had to give it to you. You were practically begging for me last night." Rin flinched and looked down, absolutely humiliated. It took her all the self control possible to stop herself from crying. She was too head-deep in her thoughts to realize that the guy from last night came to sit next to her.

"Nothing happened." She scooted away from him. "Nothing happened last night. Nothing. You passed out in my car and I just brought you here to clean you up a bit, let you rest, and get you out of that uncomfortable dress." His voice was pungent with concern. He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it and stopped himself. Rin glared at him her eyes dark and swimming with tears. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have joked about something like that. I have a really bad sense of humor. That wasn't even funny at all."

She studied him. He seemed credible enough. A statement like that was rare to Rin, for she was so judgmental and stringent about her first opinions about other people. But there was something different about him. He had a somber yet sexy aura surrounding him and Rin was intensely attracted to it. "Nothing?" She whispered, looking deep into his eyes. 'Nothing." He repeated keeping her gaze. A few moments passed before Rin looked away from him. The way he looked at her made her feel vulgar. His look wasn't dirty in any way, but there was such a deep concern and emotion in his eyes that she felt like the sinner and he was the saint.

He lifted himself swiftly from the bed and stretched casually. "Come downstairs. I made breakfast."

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She followed the man warily into the kitchen and was immediately greeted by a strong waft of cinnamon and pancakes. Her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled when she caught sight of the plate of food on the counter. The man placed the two plates of blueberry pancakes on the table and he turned back to see that Rin was stiffly standing by the sink. "Please do sit, even if you don't want to eat."

A moment passed before she shuffled to the large dining table and seated herself in front of the man. She glanced down at the plate of pancakes which were practically oozing with syrup. She made a very tiny cut in the pancake and brought the sliver of food to her mouth. The smell and sight of the pancakes were maddening her. But she was completely nauseated from last night. Groaning, she dropped her fork back into the plate and pushed her food away. The man looked up from his plate to her.

"I want to apologize again for being so rude." He began again. "Here we are sitting at the dining table after spending a night in my apartment and I haven't introduced myself. I'm Haru. Hatsuharu Sohma." His voice dark and smooth. She looked up at him only to nod blankly before she looked back at the food on her plate. She knew that she was being rude and Haru was probably waiting for her to say something, but there was no way in hell that she would be interested in any form of small talk. Thankfully, Haru remained quiet and he stood up to dump his dishes into the sink. "Oh, before I forget…" He sprinted out of the room and returned moments later with her purse, her heels, and her demon of a dress.

Rin rose from her chair and mechanically began to put on the heels onto her sore feet. While halfway done with her right foot, she remembered Akito. The unzipped her purse with immense speed and dumped out the same contents from last night. (Eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, her cell phone, and a box of ecstasy and birth control pills all mixed in with one another) She turned her phone on to find that she had 37 missed calls all from Akito. "Damn it." she grumbled and slammed her phone down. She grabbed her dress and began to make her way to the door. "Wait, take my jacket. It's freezing outside."

Rin swallowed the lump in her throat and finally spoke up. "No, it's alright."

"Stay for just a little while longer. Or at least let me take you home. You don't seem well at all and if you have any memory of what you were doing last night, then you would agree that you need to rest yourself."

"No, I'd rather go back myself. I've already caused you so much trouble."

An uncomfortable moment of silence passed the both of them.

"Can I at least get your name?"

She took a shaky breath. "Haru, you seem like a good guy." Another shaky breath. "And that is exactly why we can never meet again." She opened the door and gave him one last glance. "Thank you for helping last night. The best way I can repay you is to leave now."

Haru nodded and it took Rin an eternity to tear her eyes away from him. The door closed and Haru leaned against the hallway. This woman, this mysterious woman who he was so immensely attracted to would never cross paths with him again.

But allow me to assure you that this was not the last time that they would meet. For Rin had left her phone on the counter of the kitchen.

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	4. Chapter 4

{Oh. Hello. It's been a while hasn't it? Haha…well 7 months? 8? I've just been super preoccupied, been traveling around the world for a while. To be honest, I couldn't think of much to fill in for this story in order to connect with other chapters. Now that I have time, I can ponder and think and this is the result. Enjoy.}

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Fruits Basket. No matter how much I wish I did, I don't. But one fine day…I'm sure that on one fine day…I will have my chance.

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Rin stumbled around the road, still wobbly and uncomfortable in her high heels. Her mind was reeling from last night and she couldn't stop thinking about Haru. _Had seriously nothing happened between us? How is that even possible?_ His face flashed through her mind and she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. She looked down miserably at the t-shirt, which only covered down to her knees, and she shuddered more out of disgust than of the cold. She trotted around the crispy leaves and crossed her arms because of the wind.

_Shit, I should've gotten a ride from him._

She passed by a group of motorcyclists getting an early smoke in and immediately received a round of cat-calls and wolf whistles.

"Where you off to baby?"

"Come join us. We'll treat you right."

"Yeah, kitten! How much do you take for a blow?"

Rolling her eyes, she approached a vacant taxi cab. She knocked on the window and the driver jolted awake. She yanked the door open and seated herself in the backseat.

"Where to, miss?"

She gave him the address and received a raised eyebrow.

'Miss, you know how much you'll have to pay, don't you?"

"Just start the engine before I consider paying you less."

"People in this town…" he grumbled before the cab sputtered awake.

She leaned her head against the window and saw the industrial buildings pass around her. The morning hobos were tossing around in trash cans and attempting, with no avail, to enter the supermarkets. A few people walked by in the cold November air, sticking up their noses at the sights around them. God how she loathed this place. The heaviness of her head blocked out the driver's words and the radio's obnoxious jarring tunes. After some time passed, the cab stopped in front of some stylish apartment buildings. She shoved some bills into the driver's hand and slammed the door shut before he could say anything else. She fumbled with the keys in her hand before entering her flat. Tossing her bag onto the counter she sulked to the kitchen to get some juice for her head.

"Where the FUCK have you been?"

She flinched and spun around to see Akito on the couch of the living room.

"When I said "end up in your own bed tonight" I was actually serious! Bitch, I couldn't find you anywhere last night! I had to stay behind to see if you were slumped in the bathroom somewhere. Do you know how many times I called you? Where the hell were you? Do you know what time it is? It's bloody 10am!"

"Calm down-"

"No, no, you will not tell me to calm down anymore. You know what? I'm not even surprised anymore. I'm so used to you doing this, I'm sick and tired of it. Have you realized why any of the other don't want to deal with you anymore? Do you have no respect?"

Rin arched an eyebrow apathetically and turned around to pour some orange juice. "Sorry," she muttered without feeling. Her head was too heavy to argue with Akito. She knew that whatever she would say would be a simple jumble of words anyway.

Akito walked over to her and leaned against the counter. "Look. I'm just worried about you. We all are."

Silence.

"What's going on with you?"

"Akito, cut with the sentimental crap."

"Rin. I just worry about you."

_Bullshit. _Rin opened the freezer and took out an ice pack, balancing it on her head. She poured the juice down her throat and slumped onto the couch in the living room. Akito joined her. She flung off a bright red bra, which was chilling casually on the black leather sofa, and slinked next to Rin.

"Ok, now let's talk. Who was it this time?"

_Who was what? Oh, the guy I 'slept' with._

"No one."

"Yeah…this really won't work with me, Rin."

"No, it actually was no one. This guy found me wasted and took me home to clean me up some and we ate…food..." she trailed off. She sounded so stupid right now. Akito narrowed her eyes.

"Oh yeah, and you're so sure about that because…?"

"I don't know! There was just…something about this guy."

"Shit, don't tell me you have feelings for the guy you had a one-night stand with-"

"For the last fucking time, we didn't sleep together!" A jolt of pain hit her on her head again and she groaned before putting her head in her hands. Akito put her hands up in defeat.

"Ok! Ok! Sorry I asked." She got up and headed to the kitchen. She stopped midway and turned around with a quizzical look.

"Rin."

"Yeah?"

"You're wearing MCR."

"I know."

"You wouldn't be caught dead in MCR."

"I know." She spat those last two words from her gritted teeth. In vain attempt to ignore Akito, she picked up the remote and flipped the TV on. The news was playing an excerpt from a story about a prostitution scandal near the city. Rin heard Akito mumble something along the lines of "speaking of prostitutes" to which Rin responded by chucking her ice pack in Akito's direction. Akito returned by throwing Rin's purse into her lap.

"How about you start by removing the shit that may be in here, slut?" She fumbled with the zipper and threw out the contents. Lipstick. Mascara. Eyeliner. Eyeshadow. Box of pills. Bag of pills. And cellphone.

Wait. Where was her cellphone?

She stuck her hand in her purse and searched around it. Nothing. She looked at the contents she spilled on the coffee table. She groaned and shook her purse furiously. Nope, still wasn't there.

"Akito, did I take my phone with me last night?"

Akito began talking but Rin couldn't hear her because she suddenly remembered that she had looked through Akito's 30-something messages this morning…in Haru's kitchen.

"Shit. Akito, give me the phone."

"Have you been listening to a single word I've been saying?"

Rin stood up and grabbed the phone, trying to control her shaky fingers as she dialed her cell number.

_Driiiiing driiiiiing…driiiing driiiiing._ She, unknowingly, began to pace around in a slow circle. _C'mon, pick up pick up pick up pick up pick-CLICK._ She heard a deep breath behind the receiver.

"Hello?" she called into the phone, a few pitches higher than she pleased.

"Hello again Isuzu…or should I say Rin?" Rin recognized Haru's voice at once and awave of goosebumps erupted over her body.

"How…how do you know my name?"

"It's simple really. Take a girl home and her texts will come flooding. 'Rin where are you?' 'Izuzu Rin Sohma, where in the hell are you?' 'Rin pick up your phone.'" Rin glared at Akito to which she mouthed "what did I do?" She walked over desperately to Rin.

"Is that him?" whispered Akito, trying to press her ear against the receiver. Rin kicked her away. This didn't sound anything like the Haru she met this morning. The "Haru" she was currently talking to sounded sarcastic and dark, not gentle and mellow. Was this really him?

"Haru."

"Yes, Rin? Or do you prefer Isuzu-"

"Just Rin." Her tone was icy and cold, but who was he to judge her? She wanted her damn phone back. "Where can I meet you to get my phone back?"

"Hmmm." He dragged out his words in such a silky voice that Rin could feel the hairs on her arms going upright. She could practically see a smug smile on the guy's face, judging from his haughty tone. She almost flinched when he spoke again. "It'll take you a little something more to get your phone back, Rin."

"Cut the crap." She clutched the phone harder in an attempt to keep her voice even.

"You know the Ice Fire coffeehouse near the club? Be there at 12pm sharp."

"Are you fucking kiddi-" she muttered, but he cut her off.

"Be sure to wear something sexy so I can admire you some more in the light, ok Rin?" CLICK. The line went off and there she was in the middle of the living room, jaw-dropped and pissed. Her head grew heavy and had to fight with her last bit of self control to keep from chucking the phone against the wall. From the corner of her eye, she saw Akito open her mouth to say something, probably something sarcastic.

Slamming the phone down on the table, Rin spun on her heels, rushing at once to her bedroom. She bust open the doors to her closet and took a look around. Corsets, garters, leather, fishnets, black, black, black. _He wants sexy? Well I'll give him sexy. I'll give him the sexiest thing he's ever seen._ She ripped a teeny tiny red leopard print baby-doll and a tight black short skirt out of her closet. She put on black pumps which only she, out of all the women in the world, had the gift to walk properly in, and threw on a white and black leopard print coat.

She shuffled past Akito who crinkled her nose. "And what the hell do you think you're doing heading out again?"

"I'm getting my phone back."

"It isn't even 11 yet!"

Rin waved her away and grabbed her wallet full of money. Almost like a bratty teenager, she slammed the door shut and stomped down the stairs of the apartment building. The sharp and harsh wind cut at her exposed face and she rubbed her hands together quickly. It wasn't long before she came across a line of anticipating taxi cabs. She hopped right in and told the driver to take her to the coffeehouse.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X


End file.
